Thursday, February 16, 2017

Bobby Freeman, R. I. P.

The New York Times: Bobby Freeman, whose “Do You Want to Dance” climbed the pop charts in 1958 and endured long afterward in covers by the Beach Boys, the Ramones, Bette Midler and others, died on Jan. 23 at his home in Daly City, Calif. He was 76.

The cause was a heart attack, his son Robert Freeman Jr. said on Monday. The death had not been widely reported.

Mr. Freeman was still a teenager when he wrote and recorded the song that became his signature. Sung with infectious enthusiasm and featuring a driving Latin rhythm and a joyful guitar solo, “Do You Want to Dance” reached No. 5 on the Billboard singles chart.

4 comments:

Jeff Meyerson said...

And another one bites the dust.

Rick Robinson said...

Loved that song!

Gerard said...

Still a great tune.

Rick Ollerman said...

Used to put that song on all my party tapes that I made for our frat parties--there was no bigger hit to get people on the dance floor. And it was an oldie then, kind of like I am now, back in the early eighties.